U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Syrian opposition leaders on Tuesday as the United States announced its ambassador to Syria will return to the country after leaving his post more than a month ago due to security concerns.

Clinton held a meeting in Geneva with seven exiled Syrian dissidents in a gesture of support for the opposition movement. She told the group that a democratic transition in Syria includes more than removing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. She said it means setting Syria on the path of the rule of law and protecting the universal rights of all citizens regardless of sect or ethnicity or gender.

U.S. officials said Ambassador Robert Ford is expected to return to Syria on Tuesday evening. A State Department spokesman said Ford has completed his consultations in Washington and will return to the country to show U.S. support for the Syrian people and to help achieve a peaceful political transition.

The U.S. ambassador was called back to Washington in late October after he received death threats for meeting with Syrian opposition leaders and showing support for protesters.

Violence has escalated in the last 24 hours, with activists reporting more than 50 deaths in a continuing government crackdown on dissent. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told VOA more than 20 of the 34 people reportedly kidnapped and killed on Monday in Homs were dumped in the streets overnight.

The head of the Britain-based group said the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain unclear, but that none of the deaths occurred during pro-democracy demonstrations.

The Assad government received words of support from Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday.

In a rare public appearance in Beirut, Nasrallah lashed out against the United States, accusing it of seeking to destroy Syria. He said he is in favor of Mr. Assad's plans for reform. Nasrallah made the comments during a speech marking the Shi'ite holy day of Ashura.

The United States and its allies have been trying to isolate the government of Mr. Assad in response to its nine-month crackdown on political dissents.

The Syrian government proposed on Monday new conditions to allow observers into the country to monitor Syrian compliance with a pledge to stop cracking down on the pro-democracy uprising. The Arab League said it is studying a Syrian proposal that was received on Monday and contains “new” conditions that the regional bloc had not heard before.

The United Nations estimates that unrest-related violence in Syria has killed more than 4,000 people since the uprising began in March.